Fitness & Nutrition / Motivational & Inspirational related topics and tips, with an occasional unrelated rant. If you're reading this, chances are that you are on the journey of personal growth & self-fulfillment. Enjoy the ride, it's the only one you get!

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Zesty Parmesan Kale Chips

I don't know if you have noticed, but it seems like kale has become more popular than The Beatles were in the 60's.

My wife and I have jumped on the bandwagon as well and have been consistently trying to make good quality kale chips for the past couple weeks, and we have consistently been failing...Until this week!

I believe I have perfected the recipe for the ultimate kale chip, and I would like to share it with you. As with most of my recipes, it requires only 5 ingredients and roughly 10 minutes to prepare. Here it is:

You will start by rinsing 1 head of kale, and then ripping chunks off of the stalk and laying them out on either a sheet of foil or wax paper (or some other surface that is easy to clean/dispose of). After you have fully dissected the head in to small, chip-like pieces, you can throw the stalks away, or make use of them in some other way that I am not yet aware of. Next step is the seasoning process...

Using Pam Olive Oil, you will want to LIGHTLY spray the kale, just to give it a very light coating. Now, take Mrs. Dash Original seasoning and Parmesan/Romano cheese and liberally sprinkle them all over the kale, followed by a light dusting of salt (not too much). Time to get your hands dirty! Toss the kale around using your hands, making sure that each piece gets a decent coat of the seasoning mixture. Next step is the dehydration process...

You will want to place the seasoned kale on the dehydration racks with enough space so that they can all dry evenly and get crispy together. Once this is done, allow the kale to dehydrate for about 1.5 hours or so, checking and rotating the racks every 20 minutes for quality control... (You don't NEED a dehydrator to make them, you can use a sheet pan and your oven set at about 130 degrees F or so, for about the same amount of time -- double-check this first with other recipes online though, because this is NOT the process that I use, just an idea). Once the kale chips are crispy enough for your preference, remove them from the dehydrator and allow them to cool before packing them up to avoid moisture accumulation.

Now, feel free to relax and have a healthy, nutrient-packed, guilt-free snack! ENJOY!